The Slingshot Training System

[chris_nos_2007]

Hey I loved your program after reading it through and I completely agree with the prinicples being an ex wrestler I experienced those gains coming out of the season. I am now in a very diff scenario however. Im a college student and a track athlete. I am very busy as well meaning I am constantly running around and burning calories and im already a fat burning furnace with my metabolism. I have track 5 days a week with 2 of those workouts being more intense. We lift after these. So gaining weight is hard. I do have an all you can eat buffet open to me anytime though until 9 at night. So i wont be able to cut out cardio during blast phase. I also started taking x factor 2 weeks ago and it says to limit fats the whole 50 days of being on it. Any thoughts on my situation since it throws a lot of wat u say not to do into the mix?

[Ronnie Rowland]

He should change his name to Tricky "Jacked" Jackson....LOL..I wanted to let you know I have gained more definition along with 2 pounds of body weight in only 3 short weeks of increasing healthy fats and reducing carbs. I expected to increase defintion but how is it possible that I have also gained strength by reducing carbs?

Tricky "Jacked" Jackson....Hilarious!!!!


You have gained strength because:

1) Fats allow the joints to function better.

2) Fats increase protein synthesis-hence your muscles are now growing.

3) Anabolic hormones and energy levels are on the rise.

4) Fat loading has a de-marginializing effect on water loss experienced by carb reduction. What this means is the fats draw water into the muscles without giving you the bloated/smooth looking appearance like too many carbs. The extra dietary fats are increasing water in the muscles while simultaneously reducing water retention in the places you do not want. It's the same scenario as mixing fats with carbs before going on stage to fill out the muscles without causing bloat.

[Ronnie Rowland]

Hey I loved your program after reading it through and I completely agree with the prinicples being an ex wrestler I experienced those gains coming out of the season. I am now in a very diff scenario however. Im a college student and a track athlete. I am very busy as well meaning I am constantly running around and burning calories and im already a fat burning furnace with my metabolism. I have track 5 days a week with 2 of those workouts being more intense. We lift after these. So gaining weight is hard. I do have an all you can eat buffet open to me anytime though until 9 at night. So i wont be able to cut out cardio during blast phase. I also started taking x factor 2 weeks ago and it says to limit fats the whole 50 days of being on it. Any thoughts on my situation since it throws a lot of wat u say not to do into the mix?

Chris, I have a few questions:

1) With X-FACTOR do you have to limit all fats or just the omega 3's that reduce the inflammation repsonse?

2) How much muscular weight do you want to gain and how many meals per day do you eat now?

3) Give me some specifics about your track workouts. Are you invloved in long distance and/or sprinting. And how much do you run?

4) How long are you able to lift after running and is it always 5 days per week?

[chris_nos_2007]

Chris, I have a few questions:

1) With X-FACTOR do you have to limit all fats or just the omega 3's that reduce the inflammation repsonse?

2) How much muscular weight do you want to gain and how many meals per day do you eat now?

3) Give me some specifics about your track workouts. Are you invloved in long distance and/or sprinting. And how much do you run?

4) How long are you able to lift after running and is it always 5 days per week?

With xfactor u just have to limit omega 3's and other anti-inflammatorys. I want to gain as much as possible while maintaining my bf below 10% right now am right at 150lbs. 5'6" 9% bf. I am a sprinter. We dont do much in terms of really strenuous work as we r still months out from season. Mostly we will do plyo and technique type of work and then maybe buildups. We will run about 4 hills once a week to at 150m. I usually have as much time as i need after running and i can find 5 days a week to workout. Im currently only taking protein. With your response to this will u also look into getting a sample list of foods to eat and avoid while priming, ect.

[Ronnie Rowland]

With xfactor u just have to limit omega 3's and other anti-inflammatorys. I want to gain as much as possible while maintaining my bf below 10% right now am right at 150lbs. 5'6" 9% bf. I am a sprinter. We dont do much in terms of really strenuous work as we r still months out from season. Mostly we will do plyo and technique type of work and then maybe buildups. We will run about 4 hills once a week to at 150m. I usually have as much time as i need after running and i can find 5 days a week to workout. Im currently only taking protein. With your response to this will u also look into getting a sample list of foods to eat and avoid while priming, ect.

Chris, I will respond to your diet questions tommorow. For now, I would like for you to use the "Single-Shot" Slingshot Training System (3 day per week routine) as opposed to the Slingshot Training System (5 day per week routine). I am afraid you will over-train and not be able to gain muscular weight using the STS.

[chris_nos_2007]

alrite will do as far as the lifting goes for the priming phase i have already done the first 3 days of lifting should i just finish out the week in the 5 day split and switch to the 2 nd week of priming doing the single shot?

[Ronnie Rowland]

alrite will do as far as the lifting goes for the priming phase i have already done the first 3 days of lifting should i just finish out the week in the 5 day split and switch to the 2 nd week of priming doing the single shot?

Here's the thing-if you are one of these people that don't get real sore you can stick with the STS (5 DAY SPLIT). The only modifications you would need to make is reduce the total sets during the blast and cruise.

Here in lies the problem with training a muscle group only once a week when actively involved in track-if your legs get very sore after leg day it will hinder your ability to run the next day and it will increase the chance for developing an injury to that area. By training each muscle twice a week with less sets the muscles won't get as sore if you are prone-hence making it easier on your during activity outside the gym.

I am not there with you to see the exact amount of activity you are involved in outside the gym. It does not appear to be a lot so you can stick with the 5 day split if desired and see how it goes. If you want to continue with the STS instead of reverting over to the Single-Shot, simply drop the sets during the 4 week blast to 8 as opposed to 10 sets. During the 2 week cruise do 4 sets instead of 6. The sets during the prime would remain unchanged.

[Ronnie Rowland]

Quote:
Originally Posted by chris_nos_2007
With your response to this will u also look into getting a sample list of foods to eat and avoid while priming, ect.

First, you are going to need more carbs than the average weight lifter. I would say at least 2 grams of carbs for every fat gram. Sprinting burns carbohdrates for fuel, not fat!

There's several GI scales on the internet but some are outdated. I have found the best guide to go by is a new book out called the "NEW GLUCOSE Revolution." It's a very good book in terms of explaining which carbs increase insulin levels the most and how combining different type of carbs changes the GI. I have asked all my trainees to get this book or at least go the the book store and check it out because I feel it's the world's leading authorities on carbohydrates and the glycemic index scale. It provides 20 pages worth of foods and how they rank on the GI scale.

My up and coming book adds on where they left off by explaining how fats and protein change things.



SAMPLES OF HIGHER GLYCEMIC INDEX CARBS

Baked potatoes
Instant mashed potatoes
White Pasta with sauce
Corn flakes
Cheerio
Macaroni and cheese
Pretzels (over baked wheat flour)
brown rice pasta
Whole grain wheat thins
Rice cakes
Oat bran
Fruit bar
Gatorade
Cream of wheat
Honey
Raisins
Pineapples
Dates
Rice Pasta
Watermelon
Cantaloupe
Papaya
Dark cherries
Taco shell
Whole wheat bread/white flour
Corn bread
Rye Bread
White flour pancakes
Rice pasta brown
Dextrose
Maltodextrin
Waxy Maize
White bread
Quick oats
Milk (although it has a low GI, its insulin index is extremely high like all milk products (for i.e.; cottage cheese & yogurt)
Fat free cookies, muffins, etc
Ice cream
Honey
Sugar


SAMPLES OF LOWER GLYCEMIC INDEX CARBS


Bananas
Kiwi
Orange
Green beans
Oat bran cereal
Red beans
Broccoli
Yams (sweet potato)
Kidney beans
Pinto beans
Ezekiel bread (a flourless, seeded and sprouted grain bread)
Grain bread with whole grain
White beans
Strawberries
Red lentils
Apple
Grape fruit
Peach
Lemon
Fettuccini
Protein enriched spaghetti
Wheat pasta (omega 3 enriched),
Old fashioned Quaker oats or steel cut oats
Green vegetables
Most pre-prepared Lean Cuisine meals
Most pre-prepared Nutri System meals

[driftonce]

Should natural bodybuilders using the STS incorporate less overall training volume than steroid users?

[chris_nos_2007]

well that sux i drink a lot of milk as well as eat dairy products...o well ill cut it down just the milk in the protein shake

[Ronnie Rowland]

Should natural bodybuilders using the STS incorporate less overall training volume than steroid users?

Absolutey not! The biggest training myth of all of times states that natural bodybuilders need less training volume than steroid users. How ridiculous!!!

Steroids do nothing to help the Central Nervous System bounce back after a hard training session and they do nothing to build the tendons.

Natural bodybuilders must train like the drug enhanced for maximal gains and vise versa. End of story!!!

[Ronnie Rowland]

well that sux i drink a lot of milk as well as eat dairy products...o well ill cut it down just the milk in the protein shake

Exactly, just decrease your intake during the "anabolic prime" to improve insulin sensitivity. Then when you enter into the 6 week mass add the dairy back into the equation to make the gains.

Also, dairy is hard to digest so too much can hold back muscular gains.

[MisterWeak]

Exactly, just decrease your intake during the "anabolic prime" to improve insulin sensitivity. Then when you enter into the 6 week mass add the dairy back into the equation to make the gains.

Also, dairy is hard to digest so too much can hold back muscular gains.

Ronnie, when you first posted i thought there might be something you could teach me in this thread. The more I have read, the less and less I am impressed. As for the avoidance of Dairy in a post-work out is there any scientific reason for not drinking milk? I ask this because there is mopunting evidence otherwise. Recently in the British Journal of Nutrition
Shireffs,Watson & Maughan (2007) found

It is possible to speculate, based on previously published work, that the ingestion of water and the sports drink resulted in a marked haemodilution, stimulating the formation of urine and the rapid return to a net negative fluid balance.

It is likely that the presence of sodium along with a relatively large quantity of potassium (approximately 45 mmol/l) in milk accounts for the effectiveness of milk at restoring fluid balance following exercise-induced dehydration.

The results suggest that milk is more effective at replacing sweat losses and maintaining euhydration than plain water or a commercially available sports drink following exercise-induced dehydration by approximately two per cent of initial body mass.

Given that hypohydration results in an increase in cardiovascular and thermoregulatory strain, and a reduction in exercise capacity in the heat, it is important to ensure that fluid losses accrued during exercise are replaced prior to the performance of a subsequent exercise bout.

Also,Hartman, et. al(2007) concluded

We conclude that chronic postexercise consumption of milk
promotes greater hypertrophy during the early stages of resistance
training in novice weightlifters when compared with isoenergetic soy
or carbohydrate consumption.

Furthermore, saying that there should be no difference in volume for a "natural" Bodybuilders is crazy. Steroids are involved protein synthesis and do give those users benefits at the cellular level( I am not an advocate of such use). This is basic Strength and Conditioning stuff!

Reference:
S.M. Shirreffs, P. Watson, R.J. Maughan(2007).Milk as an effective post-exercise rehydration drink. British Journal of Nutrition. Vol.98, 173-180.

Hartman,J.,Tang,J., Wilkinson,S.,Tarnopolsky,M.,Lawrence,R.L.,Fullerto n, A.V.,Phillips, S.M.,(2007).Consumption of fat-free fluid milk after resistance exercise promotes
greater lean mass accretion than does consumption of soy or
carbohydrate in young, novice, male weightlifters1,2,3.American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.Vol. 86, No. 2, 373-381.

[SamIam3]

Finally the long awaited Slingshot Training System thread!!!!!!

I have several questions. I'll start by asking how it is that only 2 exercises are making my chest grow bigger than when I was using 4 exercises? I used to do 1) barbell bench presses on an incline, 2) barbell presses on a flat bench, 3) dips with a wide grip and 4) flyes on a flat bench. All that I use now is 1) barbell presses on an incline and 2) flyes on a flat bench.

[Ronnie Rowland]

Ronnie, when you first posted i thought there might be something you could teach me in this thread. The more I have read, the less and less I am impressed. As for the avoidance of Dairy in a post-work out is there any scientific reason for not drinking milk? I ask this because there is mopunting evidence otherwise. Recently in the British Journal of Nutrition
Shireffs,Watson & Maughan (2007) found
Also,Hartman, et. al(2007) concluded

Furthermore, saying that there should be no difference in volume for a "natural" Bodybuilders is crazy. Steroids are involved protein synthesis and do give those users benefits at the cellular level( I am not an advocate of such use). This is basic Strength and Conditioning stuff!

Reference:
S.M. Shirreffs, P. Watson, R.J. Maughan(2007).Milk as an effective post-exercise rehydration drink. British Journal of Nutrition. Vol.98, 173-180.

Hartman,J.,Tang,J., Wilkinson,S.,Tarnopolsky,M.,Lawrence,R.L.,Fullerto n, A.V.,Phillips, S.M.,(2007).Consumption of fat-free fluid milk after resistance exercise promotes
greater lean mass accretion than does consumption of soy or
carbohydrate in young, novice, male weightlifters1,2,3.American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.Vol. 86, No. 2, 373-381.

Mr.Weak, you have taken what I said and twisted it into saying something I never meant.

1) I never said to not drink milk post workout! Where did I say this? Please show me! It's been documented that adding milk (casein protein) in addition to whey during the post workout era can increase protein syntheis-hence speed up muscle recovery. I was referring to the "anabolic prime" not post workout during the 6 week mass phase.

2) It would take a "complete" and "total" goof-ball to say steroids do not increase actual muscle tissue recovery. Where did I say this? Please show me! I have learned that CNS, joint, and muscle recovery must be treated as the same entity for maximal results to occur. It's rarely about muscle recovery, it's about tendon, joint and CNS recovery. Meaning the joints, tendons and CNS of steroid users can't withstand more than a natural bodybuilder regardless of how many steroids they take to enhance protein synthesis. Just because someone using steroids will experience faster muscle recovery does not mean they can get by with more volume and make maximal gains. The muscle tissue of natural bodybuilders also recovers at a fast rate but they still need to wait for CNS and joint recovery to take place prior to training again.

Anabolic steroids are known for increasing the rate at which a muscle recovers by accelerating protein synthesis and up-regulating neuro-muscular pathways. This combination makes "steroid users" stronger and bigger at a quicker rate than natural trainers. The extra strength allows those who are on steroids to generate more intensity and push heavier work loads. The additional stress breaks down more muscle tissue, increases joint deterioration, and puts a tremendous strain on the central nervous system.

[driftonce]

Absolutey not! The biggest training myth of all of times states that natural bodybuilders need less training volume than steroid users. How ridiculous!!!

Steroids do nothing to help the Central Nervous System bounce back after a hard training session and they do nothing to build the tendons.

Natural bodybuilders must train like the drug enhanced for maximal gains and vise versa. End of story!!!

Ronnie, what you say makes perfectly good sense. I've always wondered why there was so much controversy concerning this topic. The extra strength from steroid use would have to give one the ability to train harder thus needing the extra recovery time. As always you answers are top notch.

[Ronnie Rowland]

Finally the long awaited Slingshot Training System thread!!!!!!

I have several questions. I'll start by asking how it is that only 2 exercises are making my chest grow bigger than when I was using 4 exercises? I used to do 1) barbell bench presses on an incline, 2) barbell presses on a flat bench, 3) dips with a wide grip and 4) flyes on a flat bench. All that I use now is 1) barbell presses on an incline and 2) flyes on a flat bench.

Using 4 different exercises per body part is not going to stimulate different muscle fibers or add more shape to the muscles because every major muscle group contracts as a whole.

Your chest is getting bigger and stronger because you are doing more sets of the 2 most productive exercises over and over again as opposed to spreading out the intensity with less effective exercises and doing fewer sets of the most productive exercise. Meaning specific adapations are occuring in both the nerual pathways and the musculature-hence an increase in muscle fullness and separation.

[Ronnie Rowland]

Ronnie, what you say makes perfectly good sense. I've always wondered why there was so much controversy concerning this topic. The extra strength from steroid use would have to give one the ability to train harder thus needing the extra recovery time. As always you answers are top notch.

Drift, a lot of people are making bodybuilding out to be something way more complicated than it needs to be. On one side we have the low volume crowd screaming everyone's over training! On the extreme opposite end we have the high volume advocates preaching that anyone who uses low volume is lazy and are not doing enough work to stimulate muscle growth! Next, we have the powerlifters claiming the only way to obtain size is to lift with heavy weights and low reps!

Moderation and simplicity is the big secret many are in search of but few have yet to find!

[MisterWeak]

Mr.Weak, you have taken what I said and twisted it into saying something I never meant.

1) I never said to not drink milk post workout! Where did I say this? Please show me! It's been documented that adding milk (casein protein) in addition to whey during the post workout era can increase protein syntheis-hence speed up muscle recovery. I was referring to the "anabolic prime" not post workout during the 6 week mass phase.

2) It would take a "complete" and "total" goof-ball to say steroids do not increase actual muscle tissue recovery. Where did I say this? Please show me! I have learned that CNS, joint, and muscle recovery must be treated as the same entity for maximal results to occur. It's rarely about muscle recovery, it's about tendon, joint and CNS recovery. Meaning the joints, tendons and CNS of steroid users can't withstand more than a natural bodybuilder regardless of how many steroids they take to enhance protein synthesis. Just because someone using steroids will experience faster muscle recovery does not mean they can get by with more volume and make maximal gains. The muscle tissue of natural bodybuilders also recovers at a fast rate but they still need to wait for CNS and joint recovery to take place prior to training again.

Anabolic steroids are known for increasing the rate at which a muscle recovers by accelerating protein synthesis and up-regulating neuro-muscular pathways. This combination makes "steroid users" stronger and bigger at a quicker rate than natural trainers. The extra strength allows those who are on steroids to generate more intensity and push heavier work loads. The additional stress breaks down more muscle tissue, increases joint deterioration, and puts a tremendous strain on the central nervous system.

The issue I have is that too many people in the body building world treat it like there is a big mystery. This is not found so much in weightlifting or Powerlifting(In weightlifting they rely heavily on science). My only reason for even being on the site is to help people out with good and reliable information. So when an individual like yourself(and with your credentials) comes along I want people to understand the how and why..The reason I came out so strong against what you said about milk is that some people would not read it as you wrote it. They would read it where dairy is bad period and leave it at that.. A lot of these guys can't be bothered with thinking or questioning. Same thing with steroids, Look at some of the volume Arnold use to do. There is no way that a natural bodybuilder can ever do as much or as heavy as Arnold was doing in his prime. If we compare Arnold to his mentor Reg Park(Reg was before people were juicing), Reg used much less volume. Yet, Reg had a GREAT physique!
I find there are too many 19-year old kids here who don't understand the first thing about weight training and want to be the next Tricky Jackson. My only real goal and challenge was to get them to think for themselves and base their decisions on sound strength and conditioning principals.

[J-R-A]

J-R-A, You need to eat 5-6 meals per day. Since you are a mesomorph you should be able to do an "anabolic prime" with little to no reductions in body weight.

During the mass phase you will need to eat a lot more calories than you are now and at least 2 extra meals per day. Protein, fats and carbs should be included in every meal!!!

Three hard boiled eggs gives you a total of only 18 grams of protein. I eat 10 eggs every morning with 6 of them being whole Omega- 3 eggs. At 182 lbs you should be consuming around 228 grams of protein per day. I do not think you are even close to being in the ball park!

182 lbs multiplied by 1.25 grams of protein per pound of body weight equals out to you needing 228 grams of protein per day. Whey skakes can be added to any meal. I suggest hydro whey for better digestion. During the 6 week mass phases it's best to drink a shake 10-30 minutes before breakfast and immediately after training.

I hope this helps..

yes it helped out alot I've realized that after I started the program with my normal eating habits Ive been feeling kind of slugish this actually explains why thanks again for all the help

[Slimmer]

Finally the long awaited Slingshot Training System thread!!!!!!

I have several questions. I'll start by asking how it is that only 2 exercises are making my chest grow bigger than when I was using 4 exercises? I used to do 1) barbell bench presses on an incline, 2) barbell presses on a flat bench, 3) dips with a wide grip and 4) flyes on a flat bench. All that I use now is 1) barbell presses on an incline and 2) flyes on a flat bench.

Strong 1st post.
This thread has more people in it that are 41 years old than any other thread I have seen. STICKY!!!!

[Ronnie Rowland]

The issue I have is that too many people in the body building world treat it like there is a big mystery. This is not found so much in weightlifting or Powerlifting(In weightlifting they rely heavily on science). My only reason for even being on the site is to help people out with good and reliable information. So when an individual like yourself(and with your credentials) comes along I want people to understand the how and why..The reason I came out so strong against what you said about milk is that some people would not read it as you wrote it. They would read it where dairy is bad period and leave it at that.. A lot of these guys can't be bothered with thinking or questioning. Same thing with steroids, Look at some of the volume Arnold use to do. There is no way that a natural bodybuilder can ever do as much or as heavy as Arnold was doing in his prime. If we compare Arnold to his mentor Reg Park(Reg was before people were juicing), Reg used much less volume. Yet, Reg had a GREAT physique!
I find there are too many 19-year old kids here who don't understand the first thing about weight training and want to be the next Tricky Jackson. My only real goal and challenge was to get them to think for themselves and base their decisions on sound strength and conditioning principals.

Mister Weak I truly appreciate this reply. I agree with everything you are saying. Bodybuilding is not as difficult as most are making it out to be. IMO we have too many "gurus" coming up with voodoo bodybuilding principles in order to try and make a name for themselves.

I feel sorry for many of these 19-year old kids because I used to be one of them. I asked the same repetitive questions that the youth here at bodybuilding.com are asking - "What's the best training program for gaining mass-strength"? My goal is to help these youth so they do not have to waste a lot of unecessary time. I've tried them so I know. Anything I say is backed by experience in the gym. I do not rely on conflicting studies done by the scientific community. Unfortunately, the internet is full of phonies who want to stir up controversy as opposed to learning what works. Is it any wonder there is so much confusion, especially among the youth?

Funny you metioned Arnold. Last year he came out in a popular muscle magazine and admitted he massively over-trained during his career and that elite bodybuilders have now learned that a more moderate volume approach is best. Due to super human genetics, Arnold was able to grow by doing just about anything including super high volume. I am willing to bet that if he could go back and re-do things he would have used much less volume. And he would have been even bigger!

[driftonce]

I am over 40 and would like to see this made a sticky too.

[Navigator]

Hi Ronnie,

I am very interested in your training experience. I have been training using HST methods for a while, now, and things have slowed for me. Based on your experience, what is your assessment of the HST program?

[Ronnie Rowland]

Strong 1st post.
This thread has more people in it that are 41 years old than any other thread I have seen. STICKY!!!!

LOL...I turned 41 years old this year!!!

[MisterWeak]

Thank you for that response Ronnie I appreciate it. Tell me what are your thoughts on the current lack of an adequate strength base before moving in to higher volume? I have noticed it a lot recently. You see guys doing 10 sets of 10 and can't move more than 150 lbs. I am not saying everyone has to make it in the next powerlifting competition but a good amount of myofibrillar hypertrophy(before moving to a more sarcoplasmic type workout) would be advantageous and those who have it usually have a superior physique IMHO. What do you think?

[Ronnie Rowland]

Hi Ronnie,

I am very interested in your training experience. I have been training using HST methods for a while, now, and things have slowed for me. Based on your experience, what is your assessment of the HST program?

Navigator, I think the HST program is a well thought out program for those trainees that cannot do too much work at a time. It's set up to shoot for x amount per week. I feel it gives plenty of time for recovery and repair. It has different phases like the STS (Slingshot Training System) so more adaptation goes on and over all conditioning is improved.

I've gave the HST a trial run when it first came out and felt much better by putting legs at the tail end of the workout as opposed to doing them first. This is something Bryan may want to take under consideration for his clients. Overall he's done a great job!

If your diet is spot on and you have reached a plateau training only 3 days per week, then I am of the opinion it's time to bump up your training to five days per week and train each muscle group only once a week. By doing so you will awaken the dormant muscle fibers and be able to put a more concentrated effort into each muscle trained. The majority of professisonal bodybuilders have to train this way because it works so well.

[Ronnie Rowland]

Thank you for that response Ronnie I appreciate it. Tell me what are your thoughts on the current lack of an adequate strength base before moving in to higher volume? I have noticed it a lot recently. You see guys doing 10 sets of 10 and can't move more than 150 lbs. I am not saying everyone has to make it in the next powerlifting competition but a good amount of myofibrillar hypertrophy(before moving to a more sarcoplasmic type workout) would be advantageous and those who have it usually have a superior physique IMHO. What do you think?

MisterWeak, you hit the nail on the head! I have read post after post on bodybuilding.com by people who are still very confused about how the muscle building progress takes place.

Everyone must train for both "myofibrillar" and "sarcoplamsic" growth in order to progres forward at the fastest possible rate. There is absolutely no reason for anyone (including beginners) to not be training for both size and strength. Bodybuilders at any level can do all the high volume they want to increase sarcoplasmic growth, but as long as they continue to neglect myofibrillar growth through getting stronger on a progresive basis, they are not going to make the best possible gains!

[Navigator]

Navigator, I think the HST program is a well thought out program for those trainees that cannot do too much work at a time. It's set up to shoot for x amount per week. I feel it gives plenty of time for recovery and repair. It has different phases like the STS (Slingshot Training System) so more adaptation goes on and over all conditioning is improved.

I've gave the HST a trial run when it first came out and felt much better by putting legs at the tail end of the workout as opposed to doing them first. This is something Bryan may want to take under consideration for his clients. Overall he's done a great job!

If your diet is spot on and you have reached a plateau training only 3 days per week, then I am of the opinion it's time to bump up your training to five days per week and train each muscle group only once a week. By doing so you will awaken the dormant muscle fibers and be able to put a more concentrated effort into each muscle trained. The majority of professisonal bodybuilders have to train this way because it works so well.

Hi Ronnie,

Thanks much for your reply! I appreciate it.

I agree that maybe it's time to start training more days per week. I have been studying your STS program and am considering using it.

Cheers.

[driftonce]

Will adding cardio increase or decrease insulin sensitivity during the 6 week mass phase?